Vettel has upper hand already – Salo

That is the view of former F1 driver Mika Salo, as the new Ferrari pairing went head-to-head for the first time in Melbourne.

Salo’s Finnish countryman Raikkonen was slightly behind Vettel’s pace throughout the 2015 season opener, even though it was the German’s first race in red.

“The car is good,” former Ferrari driver Salo told the Finnish broadcaster MTV3, “but hopefully Kimi can get to the bottom of his problem.”

On the other hand, Vettel’s Ferrari debut has been smooth, as he kicked off his arrival at the fabled team by narrowly outqualifying Raikkonen and finishing 30 seconds behind the dominant Mercedes and on the podium on Sunday.

“It is surprising,” Salo agreed. “There is not much testing and he is there immediately, but the best drivers can adapt to any car.” (GMM)